On the Runway

Published: September 17, 2011

ANNA SUI rarely fails to put a smile on your face with her whimsical prints and girly dresses, and her show this week was no exception. Her soundtrack transformed the big tent at Lincoln Center into a scene from Club Sept in Paris in the 1970s, and the models lined up at the back of the runway as if they were waiting to get in.

One by one, they took the catwalk wearing chiffon trousers and tops in dark vintage prints, many of them with matching turbans, or long lace gowns with floppy hats. Her prints were especially witty, one with stripes that, if you looked closely, were made up of toothbrushes.

Fashion has a short memory, but Ms. Sui does not. In fact, she almost single-handedly keeps the history of Seventh Avenue alive in her collections, this time looking at the moment when Antonio Lopez, the illustrator, and his entourage of fabulous faces descended on Paris and had a profound influence on the design scene there. On Ms. Sui's inspiration board, a drawing by Lopez,who died in 1987, of the scenes outside Club Sept and Cafe de Flore reminded her of their vintage floral-print dresses and Bakelite brooches.

''He is somebody we all need to be reminded of,'' Ms. Sui said of Lopez, the subject of two coming books, including one by Roger and Mauricio Padilha. Ms. Sui also reread the chapters of Alicia Drake's book, ''The Beautiful Fall,'' thestory of Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent in the 1970s, in which Lopez played an important role.

''If you wore black and white and red and a '40s print, that signified you knew what was going on,'' Ms. Sui said. ''It was a language confined to very few people.''

Though her references were specific to a time and place, the collection looked contemporary. And practically everyone speaks fashion today. All they have to do to be in the know is look on Twitter.

BILL BLASS On Thursday, Jeffrey Monteiro showed a crisp and clean collection with a nautical theme for Bill Blass. Mr. Monteiro is doing a good job at Blass, especially in the last two seasons,but still, it is a house encumbered with a recent history of failed revivals. Looking at Halston andUngaro, you wonder if it is worth it. But Mr. Monteiro is not giving up. Working with George Cortina, a topstylist, he has been able to book the industry's top models (Karlie, Constance, Juju and Hanne) to help bring his vision to life. The clothes he showed this season really didn't need much help. Mostly white, black or red, the dresses were body-clinging gowns, many of them with racer backs and a smattering of brass buttons. Knit bodysuits appeared with the Bill Blass logo, a double B, now with an anchor between them, beaded across the chest.